Rep. Sherman Hosts First Telephone Town Hall Of 111th Congress

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) hosted a telephone town hall yesterday evening, fielding questions from a number of the thousands of constituents who participated from the comfort of their own homes.

A "Telephone Town Hall" operates like a large-scale conference call where constituents can hear from Congressman Sherman and ask him questions about major federal issues, including terrorism, health care, and the condition of the economy. Roughly 5,000 Valley residents participated in the 90 minute forum for varying periods of time.

"Thanks to the new technology, thousands more of my constituents are able to engage their congressman than would otherwise attend a town hall meeting. We had a good discussion about a variety of issues that are important to the daily lives of Valley residents – issues that the federal government is seeking to address," said Congressman Brad Sherman.

During Congressman Sherman's Telephone Town Hall, Sherman elicited the input of his constituents by asking a series of survey questions about pressing issues. The results of the survey questions are as follows:

Which of the following is the most important priority for federal funding?

Federal aid to public schools -- 13%

Providing pharmaceutical benefits to seniors -- 11%

Environmental protection -- 8%

Tax cuts for middle-class families -- 36%

Transportation -- 6%

Paying off the national debt -- 12%

Providing for our national defense and homeland security -- 15%

For the last 20 years or more, the United States has followed a policy of so-call free trade, negotiating trade pacts with Mexico, China, Central American and other countries. Do you believe:

These agreements have had a strong positive effect on the economy of the United States and have provided good jobs for thousands of Americans. -- 8%

The trade agreements have been a mixed bag; negotiating free trade pacts should not be a high priority-- 34%

Free trade agreements have been a disaster for America, driving up our trade deficit and sending thousands of good jobs overseas. -- 58%

Which of the following statements best fits your views on noise generated at Van Nuys and Burbank Airports?

Strong measures to control airport noise should be adopted. -- 36%

The existing measures to restrict hours of operation and aircraft types are sufficient.-- 21%

I do not have strong views regarding these airports. -- 42%

In fighting the War on Terrorism, the federal government has taken steps to prevent another major terrorist attack on American soil that have curtailed civil liberties. Do you believe that:

The measures taken by the government have generally been necessary and appropriate to protect Americans from terrorism. -- 31%

The measures have protected the United States, but more must be done to ensure that the government does not impede the rights of Americans. -- 34%

The war on terrorism has greatly reduced American civil liberties and has not had a significant impact on the safety of Americans. -- 35%

Which of the following organizations do you most strongly support?

Brady Campaign to Stop Gun Violence -- 10%

AFL-CIO -- 6%

United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) or Burbank Teachers Assn. -- 9%

American Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) -- 14%

Humane Society -- 9%

American Civil Liberties Union(ACLU) -- 9%

Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare -- 37%

The Sierra Club -- 7%

Which statement best fits your views on gun control?

I strongly believe we need tough new controls on guns. -- 50%

Let's just enforce the gun laws we have. -- 28%

Let's repeal some existing gun laws. -- 15%

I don't have strong views on gun control. -- 7%

Which statement best fits your views on abortion?

I strongly believe abortion should be legal for all women. -- 58%

There should be some limits on abortion. -- 30%

Abortion should be illegal, except to save the life of the mother. -- 11%

I don't have strong views on abortion. -- 1%

Which statement best fits your views on the Middle East conflict?

We should strongly supportIsrael. -- 50%

We should support Palestinians at least as much as we support Israel. -- 28%

We should just stay out of the conflict. -- 18%

I don't have strong views on our Middle East policy. -- 4%